Saving the Endangered Grey Nurse Shark

The Grey Nurse Shark can grow to over 3m in length, is grey to grey-brown in colour and the head has a flattened conical snout. Its narrow, inward-pointing teeth are only suited to catching fish and it is not dangerous to humans.
The shark is a coastal species. Its distribution is mostly in coastal waters off southern Queensland and along the NSW coast, as well as the waters off WA. There are 16 key habitat sites along the NSW coast.

Fishing

Fishing is a major threatening process to the Grey Nurse Shark. In order to protect their habitat, no-take zones of at least 1,500m should be implemented in key Grey Nurse Habitats. This would mean banning fishing in less than 1% of NSW marine waters, but it would give a large proportion of the Grey Nurse population a greater chance at survival.
The Government has been stalling on taking the real steps necessary to save the Grey Nurse, instead focusing on programs such as artificial breeding. This is meaningless if the fish cannot breed in a safe environment. The NSW government should immediately implement 1,500m no-take zones in sanctuaries around the key habitats of the Grey Nurse.
Write to the Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, and demand immediate 1,500m sanctuary zones in key Grey Nurse habitats.

Shark Nets

Another threat to the Grey Nurse shark is the use of shark nets on our beaches. There has been much in the media about needing to increase security on beaches to prevent shark attacks. However, shark nets are not the answer. 40 per cent of sharks trapped in these nets are caught on the beach side, which means that the nets can actually trap sharks inside the beach instead of keeping them out. They provide a false sense of security while acting as giant fishing nets for any animals that happen to come across them, including the harmless Grey Nurse, dolphins, turtles and baby whales.
The number of shark attacks has not increased over the years, despite much larger numbers of people using beaches. The chance of being attacked by a shark is tiny. The Government should change its strategy and instead use measures such as aerial patrols of beaches, which do not have the same devastating effects on the harmless creatures caught in nets.

What you can do

• SHARK NET COMMUNITY ATTITUDE SURVEY ONLINE
  As always, shark numbers along our beaches during the summer break have attracted a lot of media attention. We are working with marine conservationists in an attempt to save endangered marine life from the nets. You can help the campaign by completing an online survey of community attitudes to shark nets at.
  http://nccnsw.org.au/index.php?option=com_fabrik&Itemid=1059
   
• Find out more via the Nature Conservation Council's "Adopt a Shark Program", nccnsw.org.au